


The Girl with the Blindfold

by SevenCandlesticks



Series: Your Eyes and Mine [2]
Category: B.A.P, Secret (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, F/M, Fluff & Angst, Part 2 of a two-shot, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 20:35:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17453858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevenCandlesticks/pseuds/SevenCandlesticks
Summary: He met her by chance on the bus one day, and since then has come to care for her. She fears losing her sight forever, but he promises she will see again.





	The Girl with the Blindfold

It was 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning.

Himchan sat at a table for two in the center of a local café, waiting for someone. The place was fairly new and currently rather empty. That meant a lot less noise to bother _her._ She could focus much easier.

The bells attached to the door sounded, causing Himchan’s attention to be drawn. Tapping noises from a long, metallic stick swinging back and forth echoed as a blindfolded woman entered his field of vision.

Seeing her caused him to smile, and he called for her. “Hyoseong!”

Facing the direction of the sound, Hyoseong approached, tapping her hand on the table. “Himchan?”

“Good morning.”

She smiled hearing his voice, taking her seat. “Good morning. I’m sorry I’m so late.”

They were supposed to meet up at 7:30. Certain difficulties caused a lot longer delay than expected—trying to figure out what to wear and having no idea what these articles looked like since she never memorized by feel.

“I had trouble dressing…” she admitted. “I don’t look like a mess, do I?”

“Nn…” Himchan swallowed after getting a better look at her.

She wore a thin white sweater, unbuttoned, over a light pink blouse that showed her cleavage line. It was hard to pry his eyes away.

“Uh, m-maybe you should…” he leaned over, pulling her sweater closed.

Her cheeks warmed up when he came that close and she squirmed uncomfortably.

Quickly, he pulled away, apologizing. “Sorry… I’m sorry.”

It was quiet for a moment, until Himchan decided to end the silence before things got any more awkward. “We should order something.”

Hyoseong nodded lightly.

“What do you want?”

“You choose. I'm not familiar with this place.”

“Do you have any allergies?”

She shook her head.

“Alright.” he got off his chair, causing a slight scraping sound as he pulled back from the table.

Hyoseong listened as his footsteps became further. By the time he reached the counter, words were exchanged, but due to the volume and distance, she couldn't make any of it out. It wasn't long before she heard his footsteps return.

A very light _thud_ and metallic _ding_ rang in front of her as a couple items were placed.

“What's this?” she slid her fingers on the item's top, which felt like a plastic covering over a circular cup. Beside it felt like a spoon.

“Our order will be ready in a few minutes,” he told her. “You can eat that now.”

“That doesn't answer my question,” she scolded, though her voice gave way to a little laugh as she pulled off the plastic cover. She stuck her finger into what felt like a cold, creamy substance, and took a taste. “Chocolate pudding!”

She grabbed the spoon and started scooping the delicious pudding, enjoying every second of eating it.

Himchan started laughing, watching her. “You don't seem to like vanilla very much, so...”

She paused, recalling how the convenient store had given her the wrong flavor. “You remember such weird details.”

A few minutes later, the waitress came by with their orders, placing it in front of them. Himchan thanked the waitress, then immediately started slurping his iced coffee from the straw.

Hyoseong was preoccupied trying to decipher the items before her. She could tell one item was a blended drink of some kind by the cold touch and condensation, most likely a coffee drink. The aroma of fresh rice mixed with eggs and seasoning emitted from the plate that was put before her. It seemed to be a simple order, but she hadn't had fried rice for quite some time, so she was glad. There was also a crescent shaped bread on the plate, probably a crescent roll.

Very simple order, but satisfying, she thought.

She ate quietly, periodically taking sips from the blended coffee that tasted like some sort of mocha drink.

“You're really quiet.”

“Hm?” Hyoseong paused, swallowing her food.

“You're not talking very much.”

The tone of his voice seemed crossed with disappointment and worry, the former being his general dislike for silence and the latter that he's made things awkward somehow.

“Oh, sorry, uh...” she tried to think of something to say. “This coffee tastes good.”

She took a slurp of it for emphasis.

He laughed slightly. “Glad you like it.”

Quiet swept over them again. In truth, Hyoseong had trouble communicating. She hardly had any positive interactions with people due to her illness. She was used to responding if she had to, but never initiating.

“I'm sorry...” she told him. “It's easier for me just to answer things.”

“I see.”

His tone was flat. He was probably bored and disappointed with her, she thought.

“I'll lead, then.” he leaned in a bit closer. “How are you today—“

He buried his head in his arms, laughing and embarrassed with himself. Hyoseong couldn't help but join in with second hand embarrassment. “You're not good at this either!”

“Apparently not.” he managed to say, trying to stop himself from laughing.

“Since you asked, I'm alright. I get to spend my time with you~”

The smile she wore was mesmerizing and nearly caught him off guard. Captivated, he could only imagine how much more beautiful it was if he could see her eyes.

Clearing his throat, Himchan thought of another question. “So, what are some things you enjoy?”

“Hmm...” she tilted her head in thought. “I liked to watch dramas. I obviously can't enjoy them anymore, but—“

“Don't say that. I'm sure you can again.”

His tone was motivating but with an oddly sharp edge. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but he probably just didn't like seeing her discouraged.

He continued. “What sort of dramas do you like?”

“Romantic ones...” she admitted. “I mean, the storyline has to be interesting too. Like the ones that really challenge a couple in some way. They have to fight hard, but win in the end.”

“Give me an example.”

“Well... there was one, it's really rare. It only aired once and I can't find it.” her tone was a bit sad saying that, but there was a gleam to her voice as she went on to explain. “The lead girl was always suffering. She had suffered her whole life. Many kept their distance from her, not wanting to get involved since she seemed problematic.”

Her voice was a little choked up as she explained, but she went on. “She was very fragile, so she couldn't do a lot of things. So she spent a lot of time alone. Then this boy notices her all by herself during lunch and starts talking to her. He begins meeting her every day and they become friends. But due to her limits, there wasn't much else they could do but just talk.”

She faintly smiled thinking of the various scenes. “I know it sounds like a simple story, but he was very patient with her and made her feel like her existence mattered. If there was an activity she couldn't participate in, he stayed behind with her. It follows them throughout high school and later time skips to their adult life. That's when it becomes really dramatic, sometimes over the top, but I still enjoyed it.” she sighed. “That girl was so lucky.”

It was quiet for a moment, until Himchan broke it. “And you don't remember the title?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately.”

“That's too bad.”

“Yeah, sometimes I wonder if I just dreamed it, haha. What about you? What type of dramas do you like?”

“Medical ones tend to intrigue me.” he told her.

“Mm... those are painful to watch.”

“For a number of reasons, yeah. Especially inaccuracies, but the intention of the story tends to make up for it.”

“Ah, that's always the argument—realism. I like when a story explores the unlikely to even the impossible and make it seem attainable. It's hopeful, and I think those things can happen if we try hard enough.”

He nodded. “I do too, that's why I'll watch them.”

The two continued with simple conversation, until it was time to part ways. She thanked him for taking the time to spend with her.

“Maybe we can do this again sometime.” he said.

Hyoseong beamed. “I'd love that~”

* * *

 

It's been a month since her operation.

Hyoseong went in for a quick check up. The doctors were concerned there seemed to be no improvement regarding her vision and told her that they would have to run tests in a couple weeks. Although that sounded like solemn news, Hyoseong didn't give up hope. After all, this was a rare type of surgery. Not many people need it, not many have had it performed. There's not enough data collected on how recovery proceeds, she thought. Perhaps this is just the normal flow of things.

Riding the bus home as usual, someone took a seat next to her, and she smiled. “Hello, Himchan~”

“You knew it was me?” he said, quite impressed.

“Of course! I recognize your scent. It makes me happy everytime--” Hyoseong paused, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She whined to herself, saying in a lower voice, “Hnnn.... now he's going to think I'm creepy...”

The fact he wasn't reacting (or at least, not in any “visible” way she could detect) made her want to disappear. She heard a form of exhale, and then felt his hand on her back, gently rubbing up and down—his touch felt warm and relaxing. His hand gripped her shoulder and he briefly pulled her close to his side before letting go.

“Are you doing anything today?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, I just got back from the doctor's office.”

The bus slowed down and the electronic announcement sounded. A small smile curved upon Himchan's lips as he took Hyoseong's hand. “Then let's go.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Somewhere.”

The two stepped off the bus on some unknown stop (or at least, unknown to her) and started walking down the sidewalk. Normally, such a situation would scare her, going to some unknown destination, but because she trusted him, instead she felt mildly excited about this mystery.

“Here, sit down.” he told her.

He guided her to what felt like a bench seat. She sat down, intaking her surroundings with her other senses. There was a fresh atmosphere, the sound of leaves gently blowing in the wind, footsteps coming back and forth echoing on the sidewalk—but not too bustling, and the voices of children giggling and screaming.

She started grinning. “We're at the park!”

He sat beside her. “Yeah.”

“This is nice.” she said. “I don't stay outside much these days.”

As she enjoyed the fresh air, Himchan pulled up his phone, scrolling through some notifications. “So are they going to do some testing soon?”

“Huh?”

“You said you were at the doctor's office.”

“Ah, yes, actually.” she nodded. “They said in a couple weeks.”

“They should perform it sooner.”

The sharp undertone of his voice was beyond the dislike of the schedule, but as if he detected some incompetence.

“I'm sure they're busy with other pressing patients.”

“Tch, I doubt it.”

Hyoseong could sense how tense he was right now. She felt around to find his hand, then squeezed it.

After a moment of silence, he sought to steer the conversation to something more positive. “You know that drama you told me about sometime ago?”

“You really remember the weirdest things.”

“It was called _All Your Days of Healing._ My sister used to watch it when it aired.”

Hyoseong heard the sound of a zipper, then some rummaging. Did he bring a backpack with him?

“The show never re-aired and had a limited distribution.” he pulled something out and placed it on her lap. “Luckily my sister had a copy.”

Releasing a sharp gasp, Hyoseong felt her hands around the large boxset. She was completely speechless right now. She almost wanted to cry. “Is this really it?”

“Matches your description.” he then placed a hand on her shoulder. “We can watch it together when you get your eyesight back.”

Unable to hold back the tears, she cradled the boxset like a precious baby and hugged it tightly. “Thank you.”

* * *

 

A week from that day, Hyoseong had lunch with Himchan at a local take-out place. They decided to eat inside. Currently, Hyoseong was too absorbed enjoying her noodles to care about much else. Himchan simply liked seeing her happy, even if she wasn't talking much right now.

His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Hello? Oh, Noona.”

Hyoseong slowed her pace when she heard Himchan answer his phone.

“I gave it to her last week.”

A pause, probably listening to the other's side.

“No, they're going to do some testing..... I think it's stupid, they should've checked her right away.... I'm with her right now.....”

Not wanting him to figure out about her little eavesdrop, she continued to eat her noodles and tried to tune out.

“Sure, later. See you then.”

He pressed _end_ and set his phone aside. “That was my sister Yeji. She hopes you're doing well and is pleased you got the boxset.”

“Tell her thank you. I am sure that was a hard thing to give up.”

He laughed slightly. “She actually has a more expensive copy.”

“Oh, haha. Well then.” she picked up her chopsticks and continued eating. “I'm still happy.”

“I'll let her know.”

* * *

 

It has been approximately 2 weeks since her last check up.

Hyoseong was scheduled to come in early tomorrow morning for extensive eye testing. She was honestly a little nervous, perhaps even a little scared.

Another thing is for the past week, she hadn't run into Himchan at all. She tried calling him, but always got voice mail. None of her calls had been returned. Even though it'd only been a week, she longed to see him. She was really missing him right now.

“He's not ignoring me, is he?”

The thought made her sad and anxious. Ever since they exchanged contact information, they had spent quite a bit of time together. Maybe it was too much and he needs some space?

Suddenly, a knock sounded.

No one ever comes to visit her. She wasn't expecting any special mail either. And without her sight, the peephole was useless. Plus it was already nightfall. She froze in place, afraid to answer it.

The knocking became more persistent.

“Hyoseong?” a muffled voice called, a familiar voice.

Quickly, she ran over to answer it. “Himchan?”

He was in the middle of almost calling her, until she opened the door. He quickly stuffed his phone back in his pocket, “Oh, good evening, Hyoseong. I'm... sorry I didn't return your calls. Work was busy this week, so I've been exhausted.”

“It's fine.” she told him, twiddling her thumbs a bit.

“Uh, here.” he held something out to her. “”I thought... maybe you'd like these.”

Hyoseong reached out for the item, which felt like real stems. She ran her fingers up, brushing up against a few sharp leaves, to feel a soft petal texture, a tight cluster of them. The scent emitting from them was like a gentle perfume. She brought them close to her nose for a whiff and smiled. They most certainly had to be roses, half a dozen of them. “What color are they? Red?”

“Yeah.”

“I'll need to put these somewhere, uh....” she stuttered a bit. “C-Could you help me? I think... I have something suitable enough for a vase, but I...”

“Sure.” Himchan stepped inside, taking off his shoes. “I'll be entering your kitchen.”

“Thank you.” she held the roses toward him for him to take back. When she felt his fingers over hers briefly before grabbing the stems, she felt soft, padded tape wrapped around some of them. “What happened to your hands?”

“Ngh... it's nothing....”

“Bandages aren't nothing. Wait--” she ran the tips of her fingers up and down the surprisingly smooth stems. “Don't tell me you hand plucked the thorns off.”

“Maybe...” he grumbled, remembering some of the swearing sessions that transpired due to some accidental pricking. He then cleared his throat, “I'll go put these in water.”

Hyoseong slightly giggled to herself, thinking about it.

After Himchan successfully found something suitable as a vase, he filled it with water and set it on the small desk near the door. Hyoseong could hear the sound of the glass meeting the hardwood. “Thank you. I'm sure they're beautiful. They smell good at least.”

“Are you busy tonight?” he asked.

“Well, uh... I was... going to stop by the convenient store a little later.”

“Can I walk with you?”

“Yeah, please... I'd like someone with me right now.”

Himchan gently wrapped his hand around hers and she squeezed it in return. He could tell something was on her mind.

After he had helped her get the items she needed, the two exited the store, walking at a slower, more casual pace.

“Um... so they scheduled me for tests tomorrow morning.” she told him.

“I know.”

“You do? How?”

“Well... it's been 2 weeks already.”

“Oh, right. You really do remember the weirdest details.”

“Be glad I pay attention.”

“True...” she went quiet momentarily, lightly biting her lip before speaking again. “I'm scared.”

“Why?”

“I'm scared they're going to find something wrong....” she admitted. “That I'll really never see again. Or worse--”

“Hyoseong!” Himchan stood in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulder. “You _will_ see again.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I can't....” he ran the tips of his fingers gently over her blindfold. “But I have to.”

He placed his hand on her cheek where he could feel a warm stream of tears slide down. “You'll heal, you'll see... and then...”

As he spoke, she could feel the warmth of his breath as his face inched closer to hers. His scent was incredibly strong because of how close they were standing in front of each other.

And then it was as if all her other senses went dead.

All she could feel was his arm tightly around her waist, all she could taste was his lips pressed against hers, all she could hear was the subtle noise it made, all she could smell was his scent and nothing else.

It was like the entire world around her disappeared and they were the only two that existed.

* * *

 

Hyoseong waited at the bus stop that early morning. The anxiety of her testing lingered at the back of her mind, but she chose to be optimistic about it.

“ _You will see again.”_

Brushing the tips of her fingers on her lips, the kiss was still fresh in her memory, and also her senses. She remembered the moment they parted, the agonizing silence, the sounds of their shallow breaths. And then she asked---

“Did you recently eat pudding?”

Himchan was taken aback. “What?”

She licked her lips a bit. “Your mouth tasted like chocolate.”

He exhaled a sigh, scratching the top of his head and laughing awkwardly somewhere between mild amusement and _'what the hell?'_

Snapping back to the present, Hyoseong let out an embarrassed groan. “Hnnng... what kind of thing was that to say after your first kiss? Ugh, stupid, stupid!”

“I had something with chocolate, but it wasn't pudding.”

Hyoseong shrieked in startlement, then frowned. _“Himchan!”_

“Haha!” Oh, if only she could see him grinning right now. Maybe she will.... in a few weeks.

“What are you doing here, anyway? This isn't one of your usual stops.”

“I came to meet you.” he told her, sitting beside her. “You're going to be fine, OK?”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

A smile crept upon her lips. “Yeah. And then we can watch that drama.”

Just then, the bus pulled on the side of the curb. Her heart rate increased a little, but she felt a lot more confident now. Things would work out, she thought. They had to.

Before stepping on, she kissed his cheek. “I can't wait 'till I can finally see _you~”_

Taken aback by the action, he watched as she walked happily onto the bus, placing his hand on the cheek she had kissed. At least he knew she returned his feelings.

* * *

 

Sunset.

Two days had passed since Hyoseong's thorough eye testing. So far, Himchan hadn't heard anything about the results.

Standing by the bus stop, he was currently on the phone with his sister, Yeji.

“Have they fixed your car yet?” she asked. “They're taking an awful long time.”

Himchan sighed in exasperation. “That foreign part they needed finally arrived today. So I should have my vehicle in a couple days.”

“They must've used the cheapest shipping they could get, huh?”

“Probably.” he seethed.

The bus pulled up to the curb. Himchan quickly said goodbye to his sister and hung up, placing his phone in his pocket and pulling out money for the fare.

As he walked down the aisle, he noticed Hyoseong was on board. But something seemed to be wrong.

He took a seat beside her. “Hey.”

“My test results came in this morning.”

“That was fast....”

She intook a sharp breath and her voice sounded strained. “I'm blind.”

His heart almost stopped. “What?”

“There was a mistake.” she paused, swallowing. “The surgeon made a critical error. They don't understand it, but my eyes are damaged to the point they can't receive information. My optic nerves are fine, but what good is that if my eyes can't--”

Her breathing became heavy and her blindfold was getting soaked. It was like she was using all her strength to prevent herself from screaming.

Suddenly, Himchan's phone buzzed with a new text notification. Hyoseong immediately heard a loud _thud_ slap the ground, followed by a harsh seethe.

“What was that?”

“I dropped my phone.” he replied sharply, his mood totally changed. “There's really nothing they can do? What about cornea--”

“My eyes are NO GOOD! I'll never see again, _ever!”_ she cried. “The only option.... is a very experimental surgery, it has a low chance of even working. But do you think anyone is going to donate their eyes to me?”

“They'd probably take them from a deceased--”

“Who's going to hand over their loved one's eyes, huh?! And they said it'd have to be a young candidate, at least below 50 so the eye is very good. I can't accept that, it's terrible!”

The bus came to an abrupt halt, announcing its stop. Himchan clenched his phone so tightly, it was almost like he was going to crack it. “I'm getting off here.”

“Himchan...?”

She heard him get up and storm off the bus. “Wait, Himchan! Why are you leaving? Himchan!”

The doors closed and the bus started moving again.

* * *

 

That night, Hyoseong was overwhelmed with depression over her diagnosis. She had slipped in one of the DVDs from _All Your Days of Healing_ and sat on the floor, staring at a television screen where the light would never translate as pictures in her mind again.

She could hear the sound clearly. Memories of what transpired visually in the episode were triggered. For a moment, it gave her a sense of comfort as if she had connected two parts to form a complete mental file; one that joined sound and sight.

But as the scene progressed and she listened to the two leads, tears leaked from her eyes as she felt the sharp pains of loneliness ache throughout her soul. Why did Himchan suddenly leave like that? Was the fact she was permanently blinded make him simply want to discard her?

“You are not useless!”

The male lead shouted in response to the female lead's statement.

She remembered this scene. This was where they first kissed. It visually flashed in her mind, but then morphed into the feelings and sensations she experienced when Himchan kissed her a few nights ago. The taste, the smell, the warmth, his words....

The words he whispered into her ear when he brought her home.

“ _I promise you'll see again.”_

“But what if I don't?” she wept, but there was no answer.

“ _I'm getting off here.”_

His words were laced with anger. Similar anger, kind of like when her boyfriend had said--

“ _You'll be virtually useless, having to rely on everybody else to get you things. Nobody wants that. Nobody wants someoneTHAT'S BROKEN!”_

And then she screamed.

* * *

 

Another two days passed.

Hyoseong had boarded the second bus on her route to the surgical hospital. Last night, she had gotten a call from one of the doctors.

“We need to make a special assessment.”

Were the test results a little off? Did they give her the wrong diagnosis? It probably didn't matter. Next they'll say her eyes are actually good, but her optic nerves are damaged, then even the experimental surgery would be useless. She couldn't afford it anyway. If these doctors had any ounce of a heart, they should reimburse the ridiculous bill she received for that previously botched surgery.

The electronic voice announced another stop. Just a few more, and she'd be at her destination. She heard a bustling load of people board the bus, including some clumsy _clik claking_ swinging back and forth. The bus was so full, many people had to stand and hold the hanging bars. That meant one lucky soul had plopped down next to her, which happened to be the clumsy one making all that racket.

“Why am I even going over there?” she muttered to herself. She thought she was quiet enough for no one to hear, but apparently not as it seemed to grab the attention of the passenger next to her.

“Hyoseong?”

That was Himchan's voice.

“Hyoseong, is that you?”

She could feel his hand all over her face. What the heck was he doing?

“Stop that!”

She grabbed his wrist, then smacked it away.

The bus abruptly stopped and she almost missed the announcement. “I'm getting off here.”

Rushing to grab her things, she ended up tripping forward. Himchan tried preventing her fall, but _missed._ She landed on her hands and knees and felt around for seating so she could prop herself up. Then she grabbed hold of a long, metallic stick.

Hyoseong ran her hands all the way up, slowly lifting herself off the ground until she felt the hands that gripped it. It was Himchan, she could smell him. But why was he using....?

She reached out toward his face and felt fabric bandages blindfolding his eyes. “What happened to you?”

“I'm sorry...”

“Miss, are you getting off or not?” the impatient voice of the driver called.

A few people pushed their way past her and she was lost in the crowd with them. She found herself standing on the sidewalk, hearing the bus drive away.

* * *

 

“You qualify for the surgery.”

A doctor told her this as she sat in his office.

“Um, I'm sorry, but...” Hyoseong was hesitant. “I really can't afford something like this. It may not even—”

“There will be no charge.”

“What? Why?”

“We have a donor.”

“An eye donor?”

“That's right. One eye, but that will grant you the ability to see again. Because of the experimental nature, we need test subjects. If you agree to it, there will be no charge.”

Hyoseong thought about it for a moment. What did she have to lose? The worst that will happen has already happened, this would at least give her a _chance._

“It won't be the same surgeon, will it?”

“Oh no, definitely not him.”

She slowly exhaled, then nodded softly. “Okay. I'll try.”

They got to work on her immediately.

The surgery went well and she was admitted to a hospital bed. Currently, she was placed in a room that had no other patients besides her. Because this has never been done before, they wanted to keep close watch on her progress since there was a chance her body may reject the transplant.

Each day was routine and boring, melding together, losing track of time. The first couple days, her eye socket experienced some pain, but that subsided awhile ago now. Early this morning, she could've sworn she caught a glimpse of a faint light, albeit it unbearably blurry.

All alone, she laid on her side in the uncomfortable hospital bed, nearly fallen asleep. She could hear faint sounds of devices beeping and people talking, treading back and forth in the ward. All that repetitive background noise nearly lulled her to sleep, until she heard a pair of footsteps enter the room.

She remained still, pretending to be asleep. A hand gently combed through her hair and she felt a warm kiss on her cheek. Then the footsteps went away.

Who was that? It was way past visitor hours, and the room smelt so sterile her sense of smell was overpowered. Her brain was too tired to contemplate the matter as her body gave way to sleep....

* * *

 

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The monotonous frequency of medical equipment greeted Hyoseong's morning as she slowly came to. Her eyes felt heavy, like it was an utter chore to lift her eyelids. They briefly stung at the sight of light, dulled only by the white bandage fabric her left eye was picking up in a blur.

“White fabric...”

She put her hand over where her left eye was. “Doctor.... _Doctor!”_

Her desperate tone got a whole crew of people running in, surrounding her bed, asking her what was wrong.

“I see something.” she told them.

A few of them whispered amongst each other, some even scattered about, and then they told her she was going to be brought to Doctor Oh's office--her current surgeon.

“We're going to remove the bandages.” he announced.

She nodded, sitting very still as she felt him pull it from the back and slowly unwind it. The moment it came off, she squinted, feeling like her left eye was being pierced. Once the pain subsided, she slowly opened her eyes again. Her right eye was completely blind, but her left—which was the transplant—slowly cleared.

“Tell me what you see.”

Hyoseong was beaming with her brightest smile, looking around, only to be met with slight disappointment. “This room is really bland, but I can see it.”

“Heh. Congratulations, Jun Hyoseong, you're the first patient to receive a successful eye transplant.”

“Thank you, thank you so much!”

“You should really be thanking your donor.” he handed her a photo. “Here's a picture of him.”

She took the photo to see a rather handsome man, smiling. His face seemed kind and he had really beautiful eyes, she felt guilty she took one of them. “Who is this? Can I have his name?”

“Kim Himchan.”

She dropped the photo. “Kim.... Himchan?”

The doctor nodded. “He's actually in the waiting room right now. He was--”

Hyoseong never heard the rest of what the doctor was going to tell her. As soon as she heard he was in the waiting room, she had to meet him. She bolted out of that office until she saw him, sitting all by his lonesome on the seat against the wall.

She halted, taking a step back. His left eye was covered with a white, bandage patch. “Himchan?”

A faint smile appeared. “It worked, huh? You can see me?”

“Why?” she almost wanted to cry.

“I had to fix it.”

“You didn't have to fix anything! It was that surgeon's fault—he made me blind.”

“I _was_ your surgeon.”

Hyoseong staggered back. “No, it couldn't have been you. My previous surgeon was Doctor Kang--”

“He was _late.”_ Himchan seethed. “We had to operate right away. He hadn't shown up, so I conducted most of the procedure. Near the end, he arrived and completed the surgery. But that critical mistake was _my error._ I'm the one that took your eyesight away.”

“Is that why you always helped me? Because I was your patient?”

He shook his head. “I didn't know right away. I figured it out later.”

“This surgery was risky. I can't imagine how traumatizing seeing a knife come at your own eye--”

“They gave me a special sedative that temporarily impairs vision. I was completely blind for a few days after they removed it.”

That explains why he was blindfolded the last time she met him on the bus.

“I never thought this type of surgery could ever become possible.” he admitted. “But here we are.”

Getting up from the seat, he walked over to her, placing his hand on her cheek. “I promised you would see again.”

Hyoseong was at a loss for words trying to process what he'd just done for her. One wrong move, and he would've been blind too.

“You're the one that visited me last night.”

He nodded in acknowledgment and slowly stroked her hair. “Hyoseong.”

“Yeah?”

He quickly closed the distance and met her lips in a warm, passionate embrace. For a moment, she felt like her breath was stolen, with only a split second to breathe before he continued to kiss her. When they finally parted, he pulled her into a tight hug and gently kissed her neck. “I love you.”

Her lips trembled as he whispered those sweet words into her ear. She opened her mouth, but couldn't form any coherent words. “I...” a lump formed in her throat and she couldn't hold the tears anymore. “I love you, too.”

From then on, she enjoyed every sight, appreciated every color, and most of all--seeing his face every morning she woke up, wearing a ring to match his.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> That concludes the two-shot!
> 
> I know this may not be the most realistic medically, but as stated in the beginning, "the intention of the story makes up for it" I at least hope it did haha. I like the concept of eye transplants, even though it is not possible due to many issues, but fiction is there to explore these ideas. This was quite a challenging story for me, especially since I had to rely on other senses to convey things rather than straight up "visual",
> 
> I never anticipated this story to have expanded and develop in such a way, but I am quite pleased with the results. I loved writing the heartwarming scenes, and I hope I threw some of you for a loop! Did you figure out Himchan was a doctor, specifically her surgeon? (Part 1 actually dropped a couple doctor hints too, but more subtle).


End file.
